Japanese Avant-Garde and Experimental Film

The book shows the connections between Japanese historical avant-garde movements and new Japanese experimental films. The author provides insight into the development of Japanese avant-garde visual culture and experimental aesthetics, also featuring the expanded cinema after 2000. The author focuses on the detailed presentation of the chosen aspects, artists and films of the Japanese avant-garde from its origins to the post-2000 period. The analysis is built around themes, objectives and aesthetics introduced by such artists as Shūji Terayama, Takahiko Iimura, Masao Adachi, Takashi Itō, Toshio Matsumoto, Mako Idemitsu, Japanese feminist filmmakers, video artists and the new wave of experimenting independent directors: Takashi Makino, Rei Hayama, Shinkan Tamaki and Kazuhiro Goshima.

Agnieszka Kiejziewicz holds a Ph.D. in Film, with a particular emphasis on Japanese cinema. Her research covers avant-garde and independent films, expanded cinema and technology in film. She is also focused on other aspects of Japanese culture, especially the development of Japanese rock and metal music. She is the author of many articles regarding film and a monography on Japanese cyberpunk cinema and works as a co-editor of an academic journal on anthropology, sociology and culture.